MILAN (ITALPRESS) – Financials of the Provincial Command of Milan, together with the military of the Central Investigation Service Organized Criminality of the Guardia di Finanza, have conducted an extensive and articulated joint operation in the field of contrast to the smuggling of manufactured tobaccos and the counterfeiting that has led to the identification, in rural areas at the borders of the provinces of Milan and Pavia, of 2 occult factories dedicated to processing and packaging. In this context, 17 workers of Ukrainian and Moldovan nationality have been identified, all under arrest in scourgency of the crimes of smuggling of manufactured tobacco and counterfeiting. The production capacity of clandestine plants is detectable by the large quantities of smuggling materials found and subjected to seizure: Overall, more than 30 tons of raw and processed tobacco and about 3 tons of cigarettes, largely already packaged in packages reporting the counterfeit brands of well-known brands in the sector, for a total estimated value of more than 8 million euros.
The production sites in question were well mimicled through the adoption of targeted measures to carry out the illicit production of cigarettes within them. The plants were fed with electrogenic groups, in order not to make detectable, from the peaks of electricity consumption, the presence of machinery working at full speed and in the interior, illuminated only artificially, had been set up precarious housings for the staff of equipment, coming from Eastern European countries. In fact, with the support of the Funds of the Provincial Command of Pavia, the operators found the presence of sophisticated production lines, perfectly working, with automated processes at high speed for the assembly of cigarettes and the final packaging of the packages, starting from the minced tobacco and the necessary accessory material (filters, maps, cartons for the packaging, etc.).
– Guardia di Finanza photos –
(ITALPRESS).
